Shutter for automobile radiators



May 26, 1931. A. MUELLER SHUTTER FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS 2 Sheets-Sheetl Filed March 20; 1950- mum May 26, 1931. E R 1,807,165

S HUTTER FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS Filed March 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFICE Anon MUELLER, orCHEEKTOWAGA, NEW YORK, AssIeNoR TO IRVING ENGINEERING CO., INC., OFSIOUX GITYQIOWA SHUTTER FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS Application filed March20, 1930. Serial No. 437,409.

This invention relates to radiator shutters or closure devices forcontrolling the flow of air or other media.

Heretofore in radiator closures or shutters '5 considerable difficultyhas been experienced with the frame or shell portion buckling orbecoming distorted under the forces tending to open and close theshutters and difficulty has been experienced in retaining the shutters10, or vanes in their original form or condition during usage.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a radiator shutterin which the stresses or strains incident to the operation ll, of theshutter are taken upon relatively rigid parts of the device and have noeffect upon the relatively light vanes or upon the decoratively formedmetal shell.

Further objects are to provide a structure which will not producerattles or other noises under vibration, which consists of relative- 1y"few parts, permitting of ready and economical assemblage and soconstructed as to eliminate the necessity of springs or other vibrationdampening or anti-rattling devices.

To effect these and other objects of the invention, I preferentiallyprovide a shutter comprising a plurality of vanes which are mounted uponrelatively fixed and relatively movable members serving to interconnectthe vanes of the shutter. This mounting is obtained by providingintegral and laterally extending portions on each vane, to each of whichis rigidly fixed a pair of outwardly projecting members interengagingwith each of the relatively fixed and relatively movable. supportingmembers. The improved construction provides a durable shutter and isalso-such that the laterally extending members themselves are somewhatspaced from the supporting members in order to permit of a free movementtherebetween when the shutter is operated. In the accompanying drawings:Fig. 1 is a broken rear elevation of the improvedshutter assembly.

Fig. 2 is a broken horizontal section therethrough.

Fig.. 3 isa 80 fragmentary perspective view showing the shutter bodyremoved from its housing. Fig. 4: is a fragmentary horizontal sectionalview through a portion of the shutter, showing the vanes in their openposition.

Fig. 5 is a similar view depicting the vanes in their closed position.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of one end of the vane showingparticularly its reinforced fabrication. v

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of the cable guard.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the vanes or closure memberswhichv are actuated through. means of a push rod 11. 12 designates amounting or spacing frame whichv may be ofrelatively flexible construc-.tion, and is provided at relatively spaced intervals with openings 13 toreceive the pintles orv pivots 1 1 to regulate the turning movement ofthe vanes.

In order to prevent any distorting effect upon the vanes the pintles 14:are formed as parts of integral reinforcing members 15 here shown as.U-shaped, the portions or lugs 16 of these parts projecting throughopenings in the push rod, as at 17, whereby upon actuation of the pushrod, the member 16 is turned about its pivot portion 14;, therebyturning or carrying the vane. The vanes 10 arelprovided with laterallyextending parts or tongues 18'through which the parts 14 and 16 areinserted with the central portions of the reinforcing members 15 beingsecured thereto as by spot welding indicated at 15a in Figure 6. 19designates a crank or arm pivoted as at 20 on the frame and engaged at11 with the push rod 11 whereby upon actuation of the crank or arm thepush rod will be moved to in turn move the vanes.

Spring means are preferably provided for I holding the vanes in openposition. As shown this may be in the form of a tension spring 21 fixedat one end to an ear 22 on the frame portion and at its other end to anear 23 on the push rod. As shown in Fig. 3 the function of the spring isto retain the vanes inopen position. 24 designates a cord 1 or cable foractuating the crank arm to close the vanes. This cord or cable travelsover a the track of the pulley. This guard may be pulley.

conveniently stamped from sheetmetal and.

turned up from the body portion 28 in which is providedan opening 29through which the stud 26 is projected, a downturned flange 30overhanging the edge of the bracket 26 so as to interlock with the samein holding the guard 27 properly positioned relative to the point atwhich the cable 24 tracks about the The vanes may be formed from lightgauge sheet metal stock andprovided with an angular flange '31 designedfor overlapping the adjacent edge of the next vane when the shutter isin closed position. This flange also provides longitudinal reinforcementfor the vane which may be further reinforced bodily by giving the same atransverse curvature as indicated clearly in Figs. 4 and 5.

The inturned terminal tongues 18 are given substantial reinforcement andrigidness by the base portions of the U-members 15 which, together withthe longitudinal reinforcement accorded the vanes, provides a lightsheet metal vane construction which possesses that degree of rigidnessand durability required to stand the strains and stresses to which astructure of this kind is subjected. In punching out the holes in thetongues 18 to receive the pintles 1 1 and '16 the stock is slightlypushedout asindicated at 34 so as to provide slight bosses for spacingthe body of the tongues from the adjacent face portions of the frame 12and bar 11, or in other words, for providing a structure which avoidsfiat contact between these parts and the friction incident thereto. r

The frame 12 is mounted in its shell in a suitable manner such asby thebrackets 33 which serve to support and space the frame 12 therefrom. Theshell or framing casing 32, having an open center, provides a finishedconstruction for the shutter body which is nested or received therein.These brackets are disposed at the opposite sides of the frame 12whereby the top and lower portions of the frame are left solely for themounting of the vanes and their operating means.

In practical use the cord or cable 24 is extended to apoint readilyaccessible to the driver of the motor vehicle, such as on the instrumentboard, and when it becomes desirable to close the'shutter the cable ispulled to effect a shifting of the upper and lower push rods 11 (themounting of the vanes being the same at their upper and lower ends inthepreferred embodiment) whereupon the vanes are swung about theirpivots :14 from the position indicated in Fig. 4' to that indicated inFig. 5 wherein the vanes, by reason of their overlapping flanges 31,provide a substantially solid closure for the front of the vehicleradiator. Suitable means may be provided for securing the cable againstslackening, and when it is desired to open the shutter the cable isreleased so as to permit the free functioning of the spring 21 inreversing the movement of the push rods 11 to swing the shutters totheir open position.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a pluralityof vanes struck from sheet metal and having inturned terminal tongueseach provided with spaced openings, a reinforcing member for each tonguehaving spaced parts projected through the tongue openings thereof andconstituting a vane-mounting pintle and an operating lug, said pintlebeing engaged in a bearing in the .frame, andmeans engaging the lugs ofthe several vanes for imparting a simultaneous movement thereto toefi'ect a pivoting of the several .vanes about the frames engagedpintles.

2. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a pluralityof vanes having terminal tongues each provided with spaced openings, 'asubstantially U-shaped reinforcing element for each tongue having itslegs projected through the tongue openings thereof with one legconstituting apintle and the companion leg a lug, said pintle beingengaged in a bearing in the frame, the base portion of each U-elementbeing substantially fiat and directly secured to its tongue to lendreinforcement thereto, and meansv connecting the several vane lugs forimparting a simultaneous pivoting of the several vanes about theframe-engaged pintles.

3. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a pluralityof sheet metal vanes having inturned terminal tongues,,a reinforcingmember for each tongue shaving spaced parts projecting therefrom andconstituting a pivoting part and an actuating part, said pintle partbeing engaged in a bearing in the frame, a push rod having bearingspivotally receiving the actuating parts, and means for shifting saidpush rod to effect a pivoting movement of the vanes.

4. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a pluralityof vaneshaving tongues provided with spaced openings, a substantiallyU-shaped reinforcement for each tongue having its legs projected throughV the tongue openings thereof and constituting a pintle and a lug, saidpintle being engaged toward its opposite limit of movement against thetensioning of said spring.

5. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a pluralityof vanes struck from sheet metal and having inturned terminal tongueseach provided with spaced openings and bosses thereabout, asubstantially U-shaped reinforcing member for each tongue having itslegs projected through the tongue openings and the bosses andconstituting a pintle and a lug, said pintles being engaged in bearingsin the frame, a push rod having bearings pivotally receiving the severallugs, said bosses serving to space the body of the tongue from the frameand rod, and means for operating the rod.

6. In radiator shutters, the combination of a plurality of vanepositioning and actuating members having integral spaced-apart pivotportions and actuating portions, means for receiving and spacing thepivot portions in predetermined relation one from the other, a pluralityof vanes, said vanes being connected to said members, whereby said vanesare pivotally mounted by said members and forces directed to swing saidvanes are exerted onto said members and said vanes are swung by saidmembers without directly ap- I plying the forces for movement to saidvanes, and means for simultaneously moving the actuating portions ofsaid members through equal angles of movement.

7. In radiator shutter construction, a vane of relatively light-weightmaterial, a vane mounting and actuating member comprising a pair ofpivots and a portion directly connecting said pivots, said member beingconnected to said vane, relatively stationary means providing a bearingfor one of said pivots, and relatively movable means providing a bearingfor the other of said pivots, whereby said member is swung by saidrelatively movable means and whereby said member receives all bendingand compression strains from said relatively movable member and directssuch strains to the relatively stationary bearing member withoutimposition thereof upon the material of said tongue formed on one endthereof and a mounting, pivoting, actuating and reinforoing means forsaid vane comprising a U shaped member having its central part securedto said terminal tongue, said tongue

